Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

नभो निकष पाषाणो मेरुकांचन रेखितः । यथातथा ध्रुवेणैक्षि तदा गरुडवाहनः

Transliteration

nabho nikaṣa pāṣāṇo merukāṃcana rekhitaḥ | yathātathā dhruveṇaikṣi tadā garuḍavāhanaḥ

Translation

ดุจท้องฟ้าเอง—ดุจศิลาทดสอบที่มีลายเส้นทองแห่งเขาพระสุเมรุ—เช่นนั้นธรุวะได้ทอดพระเนตรพระผู้เป็นเจ้า ผู้ทรงครุฑเป็นพาหนะในกาลนั้น

Word by Word

• nabhaḥ: the sky
• nabhaḥ: Upamāna (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nabhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन — Nominative singular neuter

• nikaṣa-pāṣāṇaḥ: a touchstone
• nikaṣa-pāṣāṇaḥ: Upamāna (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nikaṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + pāṣāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन — Nominative singular masculine: “touchstone-stone”

• meru-kāñcana-rekhitaḥ: streaked with golden lines (like Meru’s gold)
• meru-kāñcana-rekhitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक) + kāñcana (प्रातिपदिक) + rekhita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त from √likh/√rekh)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन — Nominative singular masculine: “marked/striped with Meru-gold”

• yathā-tathā: as and so; accordingly
• yathā-tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय-द्वन्द्व (यथातथा-प्रयोगः) — Indeclinable adverbial pair: “as… so…” / “in whatever way, in that way”

• dhruveṇa: with the Pole(-star) / by the fixed one
• dhruveṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-एकवचन — Instrumental singular: “with/like the Pole(-star)”

• aikṣi: he saw
• aikṣi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √īkṣ (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (अorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Aorist, active, 3rd person singular: “saw”

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — Indeclinable adverb of time

• garuḍa-vāhanaḥ: the one who rides Garuḍa (Viṣṇu)
• garuḍa-vāhanaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garuḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + vāhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन — Nominative singular masculine: “he whose vehicle is Garuḍa”

Speaker

Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative voice, typically to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dhruva beholds the Garuḍa-mounted Lord whose radiance is compared to the sky and to a touchstone-like stone streaked with Meru’s golden lines—an image of dark brilliance with golden tracery.

Characters & Entities

• Dhruva
• Garuḍavāhana (Viṣṇu/Hari)
• Meru

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord’s glory transcends ordinary comparison; devotion enables one to perceive the divine splendor.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa framework glorifies Kāśī as the sacred ground where such exalted visions are narrated and revered.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive, highlighting the experience of darśana.